


More Than Pen Pals

by This_is_Riri



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Best Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Multi, Mutual Pining, Pen Pals, Post-Divorce, Season 1, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, Texting, Therapy, Unresolved Tension, Unspoken Crushes, kids of divorce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:15:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28779642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/This_is_Riri/pseuds/This_is_Riri
Summary: Gina and Ricky meet during an online support group for teens with divorced parents. They've never met, but they're content with that. They are. At least that was true before a face-to-face meeting became a possibility.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 26
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't done much writing in a while so please forgive me for any mistakes and inconsistencies. I've recently started writing one-shots in hopes of getting back into the swing of things. So this will be a one shot as well, for now anyway.
> 
> Enjoy.

**June 21, 2019. 02:45**

_Hey Gina, you there?_

_It’s late, Ricky._

_What’s wrong?_

_Nini and I broke up._

_(typing)_

_Well no. We didn’t break up per say,_

_But we’re on a break._

_Like an idiot, I told her I wanna take a break._

_Okay._

_What stupid thing did you do?_

_Nothing! I-_

_I didn’t **DO or SAY** anything, other than_

_the aforementioned idiotic thing._

_That’s kind of the problem._

_(typing)_

_…I don’t understand._

_It’s almost 3 am and my brain’s tired._

_you gotta walk me through it, bud._

_Fine._

_Remember I told you Nini and I had a date_

_to celebrate the last day of school_

_she’s going to camp for the summer_

_so I really wanted to make it special for her._

_Turns out she had a similar thought in mind._

_Not seeing the problem here, Bowen._

_I’m getting to it!_

_(typing)_

_Snap at me again and watch me leave you hanging._

_No – sorry, okay?_

_I’m kinda on edge right now_

_Cause we’ve been together for almost a year_

_And now it’s like- I don’t know._

_Tell me what happened._

_Nini wrote a song saying, you know,_

_And posted it on Instagram._

_(typing)_

_I didn’t know any of this until she showed it to me_

_And then afterwards she said them. To my face._

_Fuck, Bowen._

_You freaked out on her, didn’t you?_

_(typing)_

_Shit…you didn’t say it back._

_I couldn’t._

_Gina, my parents-_

_(typing)_

_I know._

_It’s scary._

_Terrifying._

_So instead of saying it back…_

_You told her you wanted to take a break?_

_Why the leap?_

_(typing)_

_You still like her, don’t you?_

_Well yeah, but I was overwhelmed_

_I got all hot and sweaty,_

_my heart started beating rapidly_

_and all I wanted was distance from her._

_“You might not think so now, but you will push away anyone who tries to get too close.”_

_Damn. Dr. Corner hit the nail on its head._

_I thought we agreed he’s a quack._

_Maybe so,_

_but he clearly knows what he’s talking about._

_(typing)_

_I can’t take you seriously_

_if you’re gonna bring him up._

_Fine fine._

_I didn’t even think you were paying attention_

_during our group sessions,_

_I said fine, Bowen. Damn._

_So, how are you feeling now?_

_Are you being intentionally dense?_

_Obviously, I feel like shit, Gina!_

**03:00**

_Gina?_

_You still there?_

**03:05**

_Gi, I’m sorry._

_I didn’t mean to snap._

**03:10**

_Please forgive me._

_I can’t sleep._

“Fuck.” He huffed out a frustrated breath, then rolled onto his stomach so he could groan into his pillow. He really couldn’t sleep, his break-up with Nini weighing heavily on his mind. Talking about it helped, particularly talking about it with one Gina Porter. It kept him from just staring at his ceiling, replaying everything he said to Nini.

_“I do, Ricky. I love you.” She told him so earnestly that he knew she meant those words with her whole heart. His was currently pounding against his chest while his mind raced through all the times he’s heard his parents profess those exact same words to each other. Back when things were simple, and his mom wasn’t renting an apartment in the Central City district._

_That reminder made his mouth go so dry that the only thing to slip through was, “oh.” At First._

_Next came the word vomit. “Listen, Nini. Uh- I really like you, and when I say that it’s not to belittle your uh- uhm, confession?” he nodded, “Yeah, confession, and as much as I wanna be on the same page with you, I’m just not there yet. And I don’t know if I will be any time soon.”_

That came as a shock to both of them, and they stilled for a moment while they sat on opposite sides of her bed. Because sometimes Ricky just started talking, not really sure what would actually come out of his mouth. And that’s what happened tonight.

So yeah. Those same words now creeped into the forefront of mind his mind. Reminding him what an idiot he became when he let his brain leave the room.

Which was just _fantastic_.

**03:20**

_Okay._

_We’ll talk some more tomorrow._

_Sweet dreams, Gi._

She read the words over again, tempted to reply with her own wishes of pleasant dreams for when sleep finally took him. But she didn’t. Ricky needed to learn that he couldn’t talk to her any sort of way whenever he felt irritated with himself or anyone else for that matter. So, instead she closed her texts, tucked her phone under the pillow and turned to face the moon shining through her window. She took down her curtains today and packed up the last of her boxes. Tomorrow was moving day. The U-Haul was set to go to Salt Lake City at the crack of dawn and the plan was for her mom to go ahead with the movers while she took the bus to her grandmother’s lake house for the summer. After two weeks her mom would join them, in hopes that everything was in order by then.

The other thing, the one that she chickened out of telling Ricky, was that she was gonna be attending East High with him in the fall. She initially planned to bite the bullet tonight, but remembered that he was on a date with Nini. The last thing she expected was for him to text her in the early hours of the morning to vent about dumping his girlfriend. Oh sorry, about taking “a break” from his girlfriend. It was definitely not a break up. His words. But Gina didn’t think that’s how Nini would see it. Especially since no woman in existence would ever see it that way. That’s when she decided to put off telling him all together. Clearly the universe was trying to tell her something. That something being that Ricky was in a fragile state and wouldn’t have the mental capacity to handle learning that his pen pal would be in the same vicinity in a few short months. Plus, it’s like their group therapist said: the default would always be to push away those who tried to get too close.

Sue her for not being eager to let that happen anytime soon.

**June 22, 2019 13:37**

_Hey, Gi._

_Bowen_

_(typing)_

_You still mad at me?_

_Depends. You still an asshole?_

_No._

_Then no._

_I’m not mad._

_I **am** sorry I was before…_

_An asshole, I mean._

_It’s in the past_

_Doesn’t really matter anymore, does it?_

_Guess not_

_What are you doing?_

_Hanging out with my grams_

_It’s hot as hell ouchere_

_And she’s got me baking cookies._

_Ha._

_Are they at least chocolate chip?_

_Wouldn’t be roasting myself for anything else._

_What are you up to?_

_At the skatepark with Big Red,_

_He says hi, by the way._

_Hi back_

_Thought you’d be too miserable to do much of anything_

_You thought wrong._

_Besides, I’m not miserable_

_Nini and I need a break_

_It’s a good thing_

_Cause you’re such an expert on girls, right?_

_You don’t know Nini_

_she’s not like other girls_

_she knows that we need this to strengthen our bond._

_If you say so._

_Found the video online, by the way._

_What?! I thought she deleted it from her timeline._

_She did._

_But this is the internet, Bowen._

_Someone was bound to share it at least a couple hundred times._

_(typing)_

_…_

_Fuck._

_Fuck is right._

Personally, Gina thought it was cute. The girl clearly put a lot of thought into it, and carefully put together lyrics that would accurately reflect how she felt. Then she put herself out there only to be rejected by someone she loved. It sucked. Gina knew first-hand the extent of how much that sucked. After all her own father refused to fight for partial custody after he divorced her mom.

She also knew how messed up, hurt and angry Ricky became after his parent’s divorce. They were the kind of intimate feelings that were hard to conceal in a space with three other kids that felt just like them. So, she couldn’t really be upset at him for unintentionally hurting Nini.

That’s how they met, by the way. With a divorce rate of almost 50%, she knew now that they were bound to cross paths at some point. In this case it happened on an online therapy session hosted by one Dr. Christopher Corner for kids whose parents were on the move. Seriously. That was the slogan: For Kids Whose Parents Are On The Move. It was on the website and everything. Gina could also recall Dr. Corner wearing merch with that exact slogan during their first session. So yeah, that should’ve clued them into the cringe fest that was to come.

She was already a year into the game by the time Ricky Bowen made an appearance.

_“We have a newcomer today.” Dr. Corner told them at the beginning of yet another session, and almost immediately, they all had their eyes zeroed in on the new kid. He looked disinterested, which was nothing new. They all were most of the time, which was mostly when Dr. Corner gave them fortune cookie responses or asked the infamous question, “How does that make you feel?”_

The general consensus was always that they felt like shit, as Ricky so eloquently put it. He didn’t need to keep asking.

But anyway,

_“Would you like to introduce yourself?” Dr. Corner asked the new kid._

_“I’m Ricky.” He responded, reluctant to say more than that as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I’m from Salt Lake City.”_

_“And why have you joined us here today, Ricky?”_

_“Got grounded after my parents found out I’ve been missing my therapy sessions with our very own local quack for the past three months. This is my punishment.”_

_Ah. “So, your parents aren’t on the move, then?” Gina teased. It was low hanging fruit, and she couldn’t help herself. Plus, she was sure he must’ve seen the way Dr. Corner chose to make people aware of his services. The smile she got out of him told her as much as he confirmed that his parents have in fact, “very much settled down in Salt Lake.”_

One session- over a year ago. That’s all it took for them to make a virtual connection that, if they had anything to do with it, would last a very _very_ long time.

**15:16**

_Do you think she hates me?_

_Who?_

_Nini._

_For making her go through this,_

_Do you think she hates me?_

_Oh._

_I thought you said she’d see this as a good thing._

_Well yeah,_

_But I texted her and all she said was ‘hey’_

_What did you text her first?_

_‘hey’_

_(typing)_

_…_

_She usually says more than just ‘hey’_

_She asks how I’m doing_

_Ah_

_Well since you’re in the dog house_

_Maybe you should ask how **she’s** doing_

_You’re right_

_I’ll try that._

“Is that your little therapy friend?” grams asked the second Gina put down her phone. She was standing on the other side of the Island table, watching her. She’s been doing that since she got there last night. Almost like she couldn’t believe she was still in one piece after everything she’s been through with her parents. Gina couldn’t believe it either. Having her family split up did something to her that she would never be able to put into words- no matter how much Dr. Corner poked and prodded. It’s something her grams took the time to understand. That’s why she made a point to never ask about the nitty gritty of the kind of stuff they got into during her weekly sessions. That’s what her mom was for. Grams cared more about any budding relationships that resulted from it.

“Please don’t call him my little therapy friend, grams. I told you his name is Ricky.”

“You can’t expect me to remember that when I haven’t seen you in almost six months, baby.” She handed Gina a cookie, then went over to the sink to get everything cleaned up.

Gina grabbed a dish towel to help after stuffing her face. “You can blame mom for that.”

“Oh, I do. Sometimes I wonder if she blames all of us for my boy’s stupidity. You know he gets it from his daddy.” She said, like she did a thousand times before and Gina nodded.

“I know.” Her grams blamed every undesirable flaw that manifested itself in her children and grandchildren on her late husband since he wasn’t around to defend himself. Gina never held it against her though because her father’s choices weren’t genetic. That was something that came from him and him alone. And whatever consequences that resulted from those choices were his to bare.

Guilt settled in the pit of her stomach. Unable to stop herself from thinking about her own choice to keep Ricky in the dark about her inevitable move. It was moments like these that made her feel more like her father’s daughter than she was comfortable with.

“Gina.”

“Yep.”

“You okay, baby?” Her grams asked, watching her again.

“I’m fine, grams,” she said “Did you say something?” She even smiled, hoping it would ease some of her grams’ worry.

“I was asking about your Ricky. What is he like?”

That wasn’t a simple question to answer. In a lot of ways Ricky was just like her; jaded, heart broken and distrustful of anything good that came along. That last one was a recurring character trait that reared its demonic head a lot. Case in point: Ricky rejecting Nini’s love because he didn’t think he was capable of returning it, and Gina’s own fear of being turned on by her best friend when they finally met in person. Her distrust was so bad that she convinced herself that moving to Salt Lake City couldn’t be a good thing if rejection was looming on the horizon.

Luckily, they weren’t focusing on her right now.

Ricky did have a few qualities that were exclusive to him though. They made him so incredibly singular in her eyes that no one else could ever pull off being unapologetically Ricky Bowen like he could. Her favorite of those qualities was his unrelenting optimism when it came to something he felt strongly about. Even with odds stacked against them, she could always count on Ricky to show her the silver lining. And she was really glad his parents’ divorce didn’t take that positivity away from him.

Her grams beamed at her when Gina told her all this, with all traces of concern gone while they washed and dried the dirty baking trays.

“Sounds like you found yourself a good one.” Her grams winked once they were done, and while she tried not to blush from her grams’ comment. She also couldn’t help but pray that she could keep him after everything changed.

That’s why she couldn’t summon up the courage to tell him until a week later.

**June 29, 2019 23:43**

_Nini seems neutral on me now_

_That’s good, right?_

_Can’t say_

_You said it yourself that I don’t really know her_

_And if she’s not like us other girls then my hands are tied_

_Uh yeah. Okay_

_But I still wanna know what you think._

_(typing)_

_I think she needs time._

_Time._

_Right, of course_

_Then everything will be back to normal._

_(typing)_

_…_

_Well, that depends on what you mean by normal._

_Me and Nini back together,_

_Why?_

_You think it won’t happen?_

_No, not that._

_It’s just-_

_(typing)_

_What’s going on, Gina?_

_Nothing._

_I just- have to tell you something._

_(typing)_

_What is it?_

_…_

_(typing)_

_…_

_Gi, you’re worrying me._

_What is it?_

_You okay?_

_I’m fine._

_It’s nothing bad. At least I don’t think so._

_(typing)_

_Okay,_

_but you’re not saying what it is_

_it’s kinda putting me on edge._

_(typing)_

_…_

_Gina!_

_Alright!_

_Remember I told you my mom works for FEMA_

_Which makes us move around a lot_

_…yeah_

_Well, my mom got her new assignment_

_for the Fall._

_(typing)_

_Are you going somewhere far away?_

_Somewhere I can’t reach you anymore?_

_(Typing)_

_…_

_Quite the opposite actually._

_Huh?_

_(Typing)_

_…_

_…_

_(Typing)_

_…_

_Come on, Ricky. You can’t be this slow._

_…NO._

_I’m afraid so._

_Gina, are you serious?!_

_Cause you can’t play with me like that._

_I’m really fragile right now._

_I know you are,_

_and I’m not playing._

“Holy shit.” He breathed out. His eyes frozen to his screen.

“What is it?” Red asked from the beanbag next to his. They’ve been playing video games all day with no signs of stopping anytime soon. Not that it mattered since they didn’t have anywhere to go tomorrow or anything to do for that matter except play more video games. Ricky’s been trying to have a conversation with Nini in between plays and felt like he made some progress when she stopped responding to his texts with one word answers. So, he was at peak happiness for the day. At least that’s what he thought before his most recent messages with Gina. Now, he felt like he could bounce off the walls, and it was because of one simple reason:

“Gina’s moving here.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive. :)
> 
> Seriously though, I really appreciate the comments asking for a continuation of this story as well as the kudos I've received. Thank you. I've mapped out a plan for this here story and will try my best to keep posting something you all enjoy.
> 
> Here's part two.
> 
> Happy reading!

**July 6, 2019 18:05**

_You didn’t come to session today._

_What happened?_

_Grams’ Wifi was down earlier_

_Had to miss it_

_Did you talk about anything interesting?_

_Not really._

_Unless you count learning how to_

_not blow up at people as interesting._

_Spoiler alert: the key is breathing._

**_That’s_ ** _revolutionary._

_I mean. Wow._

_I never would’ve guessed that’s all it took._

_See_ **_that_ ** _…_

_That’s the kind of commentary that was missing_

_in group today_

_really?_

_What? Can’t carry your own weight, Bowen?_

_Nha. I’m more than capable._

_I just missed you._

_…_

_(typing)_

_In that case_

_I’ll try harder to make it next time_

_I’m holding you to that, Porter._

There was something about the stuff Ricky said sometimes. Something that made Gina’s heart flutter a little bit whenever she dared to imagine what he looked like while he texted her. For instance, if she closed her eyes right now she would almost see him in her mind; looking down at his phone with a fond smile playing on his lips as he told her that he missed her.

She wanted to tell him that she missed him too. Even though they’ve never met in person and missing someone was something she associated with the absence that came after being in their presence. Even though they talked almost every day, which should’ve made her feel all the more ridiculous for missing him this much, she knew it wasn’t the same as it would be to have him standing right in front of her. So, she missed him, and she wanted to tell him that she was counting the days until they finally met so she wouldn’t have to miss each other anymore.

The only thing that stopped her from telling him was her inability to pick up on social cues. Nine times out of ten she misunderstood, misread or completely missed subtext that was glaring her in the face or she made a complete fool out of herself by thinking someone meant something they didn’t. It was a vicious cycle she preferred to steer clear from so, not for the first time, she pushed down whatever feelings were stirring inside her and sent through her reply.

She wasn’t going to look stupid in front of Ricky Bowen today. Even if it was through text.

**18:15**

_So, I wanna tell you something,_

_and I’m kinda hoping you won’t judge me._

_…depends on what it is._

_I met this girl, Chloe, at the skatepark today._

_She asked me out for some pizza._

_(typing)_

_I said yes._

…she took that back. Ricky Bowen was a douche.

**18:20**

_Gina? You still there?_

_What the fuck, Ricky?_

_I know. I know._

_None of this casts me in the best light._

_Yeah, no shit._

_But!  
Maybe what I need is to hang out with Chloe,_

_to test if what I have with Nini is real._

_…_

_I’m done talking to you._

_No, Gina. Wait!_

**18:25**

_Gina?_

**18:30**

_You can’t be mad at me for this._

_I’m just trying to figure out how I feel._

“Yeah.” She whispered, staring at her screen. “You’re not the only one.”

* * *

“So…how’d she take the news?” Red asked as soon as Ricky pocketed his phone.

“Not great,” He said, “she…kinda stopped talking to me.”

“Again?! What? Is that her thing?”

“I guess lately, yes.” Ricky answered, “I just don’t get why she’s so pissed at me. This doesn’t even have anything to do with her.”

Red shrugged as he passed a kid some change and told him his pizza would be ready in ten minutes. “Girls are weird, man. Maybe it’s a Feminist thing.”

“You think so?” Ricky perked up a little from his seat by the counter. It would explain why Gina suddenly flipped the way she did. Might be A Sisterhood of the Travelling pants type thing that had her feeling like she had to defend Nini’s honor just cause they shared body parts.

But there wasn’t even anything to worry about. Chloe was just a cool girl he happened to meet at the skate park today…

_“Watch out!” she yelled from behind him. Well, more like screeched since he almost fell off his board. When he turned around he saw a raven-haired girl about to crash into him._

_“Get out of the way!” She waved her arms around frantically to emphasize her point, giving Ricky about a split second to duck out the way and scrape his knee onto the pavement. Ricky watched her go until she rolled up a ramp, stopped, then skillfully rolled back down towards him._

_“You okay?” she asked, and it wasn’t until she was towering over him that Ricky realized, he was still very much on his hands and knees._

_“I’m good.” He assured her, “Just a little surprised cause you came out of nowhere.”_

_“Yeah, I tend to have that effect on people.” She smiled, then reached for his hand to help him up._

_“Thanks.”_

_“No problem.” She said, “Though I should be the one apologizing for almost crashing into you.”_

_He shook his head with a chuckle. “Nha, I’m sorry I was standing in your way.”_

_“Well, if you put it that way. Grab some pizza with me tonight and all is forgiven.”_

_“Uh- um.”_

_She raised an eyebrow, closely watching him until he said, “yeah, sure. Sounds great.”_

_“Good. I’m Chloe, by the way.”_

_“Ricky.”_

_“Nice to meet you” She told him as she inspected him further. He was cute, and she was a sucker for curly hair. Only think was he looked really skittish for some reason. “Am I making you nervous, Ricky? Or do you have a girlfriend keeping you a leash or something?”_

_“No- I mean, yes…but we’re on a break.” He fumbled, “and she doesn’t- keep me on a leash, I mean.”_

_She raised an eyebrow curiously at that. “A break, hmm. Then you’re not doing anything wrong, so maybe try to relax a little?”_

_He nodded._

_Chloe was…something else. More accurately, her face was a contradiction of itself. While her hair was a dark black, she had the lightest blue eyes he’s ever seen, and they pierced into him, letting him know that he couldn’t say no to her. Plus, she was really forward. Ricky doesn’t think he’s ever met anyone who just came right out and said what they meant._

_It was refreshing._

_“Sorry about that.” She said, snapping him out of his thoughts, and pointed at his scraped knee._

_“Oh this? This is nothing.” He awkwardly kicked out his leg a few times to emphasize his point, “No harm no foul.” He actually completely forgot about it, but he will admit that he kinda liked that she noticed._

_“Cool.” She smiled and looked over his shoulder. When Ricky followed her gaze, he finally noticed the people standing just at the edge of the park waving her over._

_“Friends of yours?” he asked as she turned to him with an apologetic look in her oceanic eyes._

_“Yeah. We’re on a cross country road trip for the summer so we kinda gotta stay together.” She explained, which cleared up why he’s never seen her before. “But we’ll be here for a few days and I saw a nice pizzeria downtown-”_

_“-Slice of Heaven, yeah. A friend of mine started working there for the Summer.”_   
  


_“Great. Then I’ll see you there at 19:00?” she asked, hopeful, which only made her eyes even more mesmerizing that all Ricky could do was nod before she waved goodbye and eventually disappeared with her friends._

So here he was. Waiting for his date to arrive while Red manned the cash register.

“Do you think this is a bad idea?” he asked once Red finished serving another customer, “This whole thing, I mean. Should I just go home and try to talk to Gina again.”

“No. You are not leaving.” Red said furiously shaking his head. The place calmed down a little in the last ten minutes, with happy customers enjoying their pizza so Red had a moment’s reprieve to tell his best friend what a colossally bad idea it was to stand up the skater girl. Setting up this date in the first place was arguably a terrible idea in itself, which just further cemented the fact that Ricky couldn’t be trusted to make decisions anymore.

“I know it’s not your thing, dude, but you committed to this date so you’re gonna see it through.”

Ricky nodded, and even straightened his back a little as he said, “You’re right. I can’t leave.”

“Exactly.” Red agreed, satisfied for only a second before Ricky pulled out his phone and opened his text messages. “No. You’re not doing that either.” Red took his phone from him and pocketed it before Ricky could protest.

“Hey! Tha-!”

“Shut up. There’s a customer coming.” Red snapped then plastered on his work smile for the approaching girl and- wow she was pretty. The whole dark emo thing she had going on was totally working for her. It made her look mysterious and her tanned skin gave her the kind of racial ambiguity Red’s only ever seen on TV.

This is where he would normally welcome her to Slice of Heaven, but his throat was dry and he couldn’t get the words out. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice how flabbergasted he was because she was looking at Ricky with the most confident smile he’s ever seen on a girl their age. Which meant she had to be older. Right? But Red couldn’t really tell from all the makeup on her face and he doubted Ricky could either.

“You made it before me,” she told him. “Good.”

“Oh- uh hey, Chloe.” Ricky said, a little flustered. He caught Red’s eye as he mouthed ‘ _That’s_ Chloe?’ with a subtle point in her direction and Ricky quickly nodded. When he fully turned to her, she was looking back and forth between them waiting for some sort of introduction.

“Oh yeah!” Ricky finally caught on, “Chloe, this is my best friend, Big Red. Red, Chloe.”

“Big Red?” She scanned his profile; the red hair, pale skin and small frame. A little confused by the name.

Red shifted uncomfortably under her intimidating gaze, making a mental note to never interact with her ever again. Then pointed out that, “It’s uh- meant to be ironic.”

“And it suits him.” Ricky added with a chuckle while Chloe nodded mutely at both of them. Now, Ricky didn’t want to jump the gun, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this date would be slightly more awkward than it was that afternoon.

“Uh- do you wanna sit?” He gestured to the seat next to him, but Red was already shaking his head.

“Nha, you guys should definitely get a table. There’s one in the corner over there.” He pointed to an empty table in the secluded part of the restaurant. “Over there, you guys can have some privacy and get to know each other, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Chloe quickly agreed, but Ricky hesitated a little so she pulled on his arm to get him to stand up.

“Okay. Sounds good.” He gave in with a reluctant smile. “I’ll just get us some pizza quickly, so you go sit and…I’ll be right there.” He said before quickly asking, “You have any preferences?”

“Surprise me.” She winked, then headed to their table while Ricky turned to glare at his traitorous best friend.

“Seriously dude!” he sneered at him, “You’re gonna leave me alone with her?”

“Yes.” Red nodded, “Cause you’re the dump-ass who asked her out, which, yes, I get it. She’s gorgeous, but my guy- she is scary as shit and- how did you fail to mention that when you first told me about her?”

“Because she didn’t seem scary when I met her, okay? I mean she was a little intimidating, and kinda forward, but-”

“A _little_ intimidating? Dude, did you not see the way she was looking at me? Not even the bullies at school look at me with that kind of disapproval.”

Ricky groaned into his hands- cause shit, yeah, he did see that. “I’m sorry, man.”

“It’s fine.” Red assured him, “But you better get over there cause she’s looking at us like she’s about to come over here, and-”

“Got it.” Ricky said. He placed their order, then just before he left Ricky looked at Red with pleading eyes.

Red sighed, “What?”

“Can I please have my phone back?” he begged with his hands clasped together against his chin and his lips pouting. Nini used to say it was his secret weapon. That no one could ever resist him and his puppy dog eyes…

“No.”

…But clearly Red was the exception to the rule.

**23:36**

_I’m sorry._

_…_

_For what?_

_I didn’t consider your feelings today,_

_Or how much of a conflict of interest_

_it was telling you about Chloe._

_(typing)_

_I don’t know what you’re talking about_

_You know…_

_The sisterhood of the traveling pants._

_Are you talking about a movie right now?_

_Partly?..._

_Listen, Gi._

_I didn’t mean to make you feel like_

_you were betraying another girl._

_(typing)_

_…_

_I don’t even know Nini._

_So, I’m not obligated to her._

_Also, have you even seen this movie?_

_…_

_Not really. No._

_Then why?_

_Because you’re mad at me_

_and I’m just trying to figure out why._

_It’s not for you to “figure out”, Ricky._

_I just- I feel stupid._

_Why?_

_Because…_

_It’s nothing._

_Will you please let it go?_

_Gina…_

_Please._

_I promise I’ll tell you once I’ve sorted out how I feel._

_(typing)_

_…and in the meantime?_

_In the meantime,_

_I promise I won’t get upset with you_

_when you don’t deserve it._

_I’ll breathe. Like you said._

_Okay._

_(typing)_

_It didn’t work out, btw._

_…_

_She kinda walked out on me._

_Why?_

_She wasn’t too happy with me-_

_said something about_

_me talking about my girlfriend too much._

_Well, you do that a lot_

_so I could’ve told you that_

_but I am sorry it didn’t work out._

_I know you just trying to find your feet._

**23:53**

_Yeah._

_Okay, I’m sleepy now._

_Goodnight, Ricky._

_…Sweet dreams._

Ricky stayed up for a few more hours, obsessing over his date with Chloe. Their entire conversation bothered him. Mostly because after Gina cussed him out he just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to go on a date with anyone so he should’ve cancelled. The problem was, he didn’t have her number. She’d disappeared before he could get it. Also, Red was right: he had to follow through on his commitments, even if, like today, they didn’t always pan out.

They’d actually been halfway through their date, with him ranting about how guilty he felt about being there with her when she held up her hand to stop him.

_“Listen, Ricky. I’ve been sitting here listening to you talk about your girlfriend for the past half an hour, and honestly? I’m bored, so I’m gonna give you some simple advice, then I’m gonna walk out that door and hopefully never see you again. Okay?”_

_“Uh-”_

_“Okay.” She agreed for him in order to move things along. “Give her time. The problem is obviously the distance. Maybe that’s why you’re on a break- I don’t know- so the sooner she gets here the sooner you’ll relax. Hopefully.”_

_It took him a second to register what she was saying, but instead of making sense like it should’ve, Chloe’s advice only confused him more. Not that she noticed, she was already on her feet waving goodbye to him._

_“Have a nice life, Ricky.” She said, and then walked out of the pizzeria like she said she would. Yet again leaving Ricky completely stunned._

_He sat there for few more minutes, staring at the table, trying to make sense of it all when Red came over and sat across from him. “How’d it go?”_

_“It was…weird.” Ricky said, a little taken aback by Red’s sudden presence. “She said she was bored because I was talking about my girlfriend too much.”_

_“Seriously, dude?” Red shook his head, in clear disapproval of the things Ricky chose to say to people sometimes. “I thought you were gonna keep the Nini talk at a minimum from now on.”_

_“Yeah, that’s just it.” Ricky explained, thinking back on everything he said to Chloe and, “I didn’t bring Nini up once.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh! This chapter was inspired by Ricky Bowen's line in the Pilot Episode: "Did I hang out with a couple girls this summer? Possibly. Did I talk about Nini the entire time? Absolutely". But I obviously put my own spin on it.
> 
> Let me know what you think. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww man, you guys are the best. Thank you so much for the comments and the support, it really motivates and inspires me to keep this going. 
> 
> I'm thinking of making this eight parts, so the story doesn't feel too long, and I'll make Homecoming the climax. This means that once they start school in Chapter 5, I'll be swapping a lot of stuff around and making changes to fit my narrative, so it won't really be canon compliant (please don't come for me).
> 
> I also introduce Howie in this chapter so yep, he is now a character in this story.
> 
> Anyway, happy reading!

**July 27, 2019 16:15**

_Are you okay?_

_…_

_Gina?_

_I’m fine._

_Why?_

_Dr. Corner’s been trying to get your attention_

_for the past five minutes,_

_which- I get it- this is a snooze fest,_

_but you haven’t looked up since we started._

Her head shot up after reading that to find everyone in her group looking at her curiously. Well, almost everyone. Dr. Corner looked like he was worried about her. He always looked like that when they went quiet for too long which- for someone with such incredible patience, he’s never been comfortable with silence. Also, how in the hell did she let her mind wander to a point where forgot she was in the middle of therapy. She knew she had better control than that.

“Is everything alright, Gina?” Dr. Corner asked, his voice sounding just as stained with the worry she could still see on his face. “Would you like to share what’s going through your mind?”

She really didn’t. If she did it meant acknowledging her insecurities. Particularly the ones tied to her father that she’d managed to keep at bay for a whole year, but that were now triggered by one Ricky Bowen and his serial dating.

He’s been on four in the past two weeks and, as weird and uncomfortable as it was to find any kind of connection between that and her father leaving, she couldn’t help but feel rejected on both counts.

Still, she forced herself to share at least some of it. “Uhm- I’ve been thinking about my dad recently.”

The good doctor nodded slightly, intrigued. Gina never talked about her father- if she talked about him, she felt that it meant she was still affected by how he so easily walked out for her life- and Gina refused to be affected by anything. So, she was hardened- with no one ever really getting to know her unless she wanted them to. It made him curious then, of what made Ricky Bowen so special.

“When was the last time you saw or talked to him?” Dr. Corner asked.

“A year ago. When he relinquished his rights to have anything to do with me.” She remembered the day clearly. Doubted she’d ever forget it. Or forgive him if he ever cared enough to find her again. But that’s it. She didn’t have it in her to share more than that today. Dr. Corner knew it too.

So he nodded, then turned to Howie, the teen Justin Bieber of the group, and the only other kid with the same kinda parental issues Gina had. She always thought that it was the floppy haircut that really tipped the scales from mere resemblance to full-on doppelganger. But that was the point. Howie wanted to be seen as anyone other than himself:

_“Why is that?” Dr. Corner once asked him the day he got his haircut, and Howie simply shrugged,_

_“Beats who I am now,” he said._

_That_ , and apparently people used to always say he looked like his mom. She up and left one day, yet he still saw her every time he looked in the mirror. It was a special kind of torture, and he hated every second of it.

At least now he was Justin Bieber.

“What about you, Howie?” Dr. Corner wondered, “Last time you talked about your mom you said she was trying to reach out. Have you spoken to her?”

He nodded. “Yeah, my dad and I talked to her on the phone three nights ago,” he stated, and they all waited for him to elaborate.

So, he added. “We made plans to visit her next weekend.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

“Well, it’s like you always say, Doc. We need to try and let go of the past in order to be- what’s the word again? - uh…”

“Fruitful.” Ricky chimed in helpfully.

“fruitful, yeah. Thanks, Rick. So, that’s what I’m trying to do.” Howie concluded with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. The resentment there always gave him away.

Dr. Corner sighed. “Yes, but none of you have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. It’s your life. Sometimes you have to do what’s best for you.”

“Even if it means cutting someone out of our lives completely?” Gina asked.

“…even then,” he replied soberly. “Though I feel I need to add that whatever decision you make shouldn’t be out of fear, but out of freedom…”

Okay. It was getting cringy again.

**17:03**

_I **really** wish he’d stopped talking _

_after he said fear_

_Yeah,_

_but it wouldn’t be a Corner certified therapy session_

_without some second-hand embarrassment sprinkled in there._

_Point taken._

_(typing)_

_You never talk about your dad._

_Nothing to talk about._

_He left._

_Now it’s mostly me and my mom._

_Okay,_

_but you hardly talk about your mom either._

_(typing)_

_Ricky, we just got out of therapy._

_Can we not?_

_…fine._

_But know this,_

_I will break you, Gina Porter._

_Yeah okay._

_(typing)_

_So…_

_Any dates lined up for next week?_

_I don’t know._

_I’m not sure I’m feeling it._

_What do you mean?_

_I’ll tell you if you share one thing about your mom._

_Ha,_

_of course, you’d stoop this low._

_Do we have a deal or not, Porter?_

_Fine._

_She works for FEMA._

_…_

_Something that I don’t already know._

_Well, you didn’t specify._

_It’s implied!_

_Why would I do this otherwise?!_

_Okay okay…_

_She’s a good dancer._

_Ah._

_So, that’s where you get it from._

_She taught you?_

_Nope,_

_that was YouTube._

_I learned most things on there._

_(typing)_

_Like what?_

_I’d tell you, but that wasn’t the deal._

_Now spill, Bowen._

_I…don’t think I’m cut out for dating._

_Having a girlfriend, sure, but not dating._

_How did you get Nini then?_

_I’ve known Nini my whole life,_

_so there was always that underlying tension_

_whenever we hung out, until one day we kissed_

_and I asked her to be my girlfriend._

_Wow that’s- really romantic._

_(typing)_

_I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not._

_But anyway. As hard as I try,_

_it’s hard to connect with someone like that._

It took her exactly thirty minutes of pacing back and forth in her bedroom while eyeing the cell phone she tossed on the bed to bring herself to finally tell him what he wanted to hear about his relationship with Nini. Because let’s face it, even though she didn’t have the full picture about their life together, Ricky gave her enough pieces for her to realize that her budding feelings for him were miniscule in the grand scheme of Rini.

So, what was she doing other than setting herself up for heartbreak? Again.

_Hmm. Hi dad._

When he popped into her mind this time, she couldn’t help but think back to what Dr. Corner said about doing what’s best for herself.

She needed to be okay by the end of Summer- before she met Ricky in person and had no device to hide behind.

Maybe this was the way to do it.

**17:53**

_You shouldn’t have to._

_Sounds like what you already have is pretty great._

_(typing)_

_-thanks, Gi._

_Yeah._

_(typing)_

_My mom’s calling me so I gotta go._

_Sure._

_Talk to you later, okay?_

_…_

_(typing)_

_Bye, Ricky._

* * *

Ricky was convinced that the whole concept of time was a sham. It had to be. Cause how could so much change yet stay exactly the same in such a short period? And with no emotional growth to show for it? With time came wisdom, right? That’s what his mom always said. Well, where was his wisdom? Where was his mature capability to understand what she meant when she explained that “People change.”

And in the midst of it all, where was Gina?

“Ricky?” Dr. Corner called to him again, hoping to catch his attention. “You left us hanging there buddy,” he said.

Ricky shook his head to get himself into focus again. “Sorry,” he replied, “What was I saying?”

“You were saying your mom started dating again.” Gina said quietly. It’s the most she’s spoken to him in three weeks, after she went radio silent on him. At first, he tried texting her a few times a day and even apologized in case he did or said something to make her mad, but after the 15th attempt in a week, it became hard to deny that she wasn’t going to text him back anytime soon. To add insult to injure, she chose to completely ignore his existence during their therapy sessions. He was invisible to her, and he didn’t even know why.

So, this was new, and it took him a second to finally find his voice. “Y-yeah,” he confirmed, “she’s dating this guy, Todd,” and as much as she probably wanted to hide it, he could see the concern in her eyes when she finally looked at him, maybe a little regret too.

It’s funny. She’s the first person he wanted to tell when he found out, and not being able to really hurt. Then weeks went by, with the promise of easing some of that pain. Looking at her now, the pain was still there, and it felt like no time had passed at all.

“My mom doesn’t think I can handle this big a change in such a short space of time, so she encouraged me to talk about it. Said it would help.” He continued, his eyes locked on Gina and hers on him. The apology being silently conveyed along with a vow to never do it again.

Then Dr. Corner brought him back, asking, “Do you think it has?”

Ricky nodded, “Yeah. I think I’ll be okay now.” When he tried to catch Gina’s eye again, she was already looking back at him intently, with a small smile playing at her lips. Soon after that, his phone chimed in his pocket with an incoming text he quickly opened while Dr. Corner moved on to someone else and beamed at the name splayed across his lock screen:

**August 17, 2019 16:47**

_I’m sorry._

_(typing)_

_Where did you go, Gina?_

_(typing)_

_…_

_I started-_

_feeling more for you than I should’ve,_

_and I didn’t handle it very well_

_because having feelings like that,_

_they open me up to the risk of being hurt_

_and rejected again._

_And I’ve been though enough of that with my dad._

_(typing)_

_Besides, you have your feelings for Nini to deal with,_

_so I know nothing will ever come of this._

_It was selfish of me to just ghost you_

_instead of talking to you._

_If I did then I would’ve known about your mom._

_I’m so sorry, Ricky._

_…_

_You…_

_You have feelings for me?_

_I did._

_But I’m okay now._

_I got a lot of time to think these past three weeks,_

_and I realized that we’re better as friends._

_Friends…_

_“How’d it go?” Red asked as he sat across from him._

_“It was…weird.” Ricky said, a little taken aback by Red’s sudden presence. “She said she was bored because I was talking about my girlfriend too much.”_

_“Seriously, dude?” Red shook his head, in clear disapproval of the things Ricky chose to say to people sometimes. “I thought you were gonna keep the Nini talk at a minimum from now on.”_

_“Yeah, that’s just it.” Ricky explained, thinking back on everything he said to Chloe and, “I didn’t bring Nini up once.”_

_Red studied him for a moment, waiting for him to come to the realization himself. Because even though he knew Ricky wasn’t the sharpest even when something was staring him dead in the face, he wasn’t slow either._

_At lease he hoped not._

_Alas, his best friend only tilted his head at him searchingly and asked, “Why don’t you look more surprised?”_

_“Because I’m not.” Red said slowly, “Are you?”_

_“I- uh- I don’t know,” Ricky stuttered the words as honestly as he could. He was a little surprised by the question and hadn’t really stopped to consider it. All he knew was that Gina was his friend, and he was allowed to talk about her. Right? Especially since imaging her hurting in her room because of some stupid thing he said made his heart drop to the deepest pits of his stomach. Especially then. And he wasn’t going to apologize for it._

_“Look, I know you care about Nini. The kind of bond that you have with her can’t be replicated.” Red stated, breaking the silence they found themselves in. “But I think you need to ask yourself why you couldn’t tell her you love her.”_

_Ricky opened his mouth to protest, then quickly snapped it shut as he conceded to Red’s point. He could admit that it was easier to just blame his parents; to say that it was the example they set that made him like this, and while that would be partially true, maybe there was something else at play, or someone else._

_He just wasn’t sure._

_“Do you think I’m latching onto Gina?” he asked and Red hesitated, considering his words for a moment._

_“I have no idea, man,” he shook his head. “What I do know is that there’s definitely something there with Gina. Something different that I only see when you talk about her. And your face…it shines like a million lightbulbs turned on in your head. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”_

Red’s words haunted him for weeks after that, but none more often than when she wasn’t talking to him. Whenever he got a glimpse of her, seeing her brown eyes and soft smile stayed with him for days until he got to see her again. And he felt something. Something foreign that he couldn’t even begin to define despite how much time had passed.

None of that mattered now, Gina said her piece and he knew how hard it must’ve been for her to open up like that; the last thing he wanted was for these newfound feelings he had for her to be another reminder of the pain her dad left behind.

Gina Porter deserved better than that.

**17:33**

_…friends it is._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter,
> 
> As Summer comes to an end, Gina finally moves to Salt Lake City.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you want me to continue with this.


End file.
